A community has banded together to raise £50,000 for a carer after his car was burnt out during riots in Middlesbrough.
Towns and cities across the UK have experienced horrific scenes over the last week or so following the tragic deaths of three young girls at a summer holiday class in Southport on 29 July.
Earlier today, three men involved in the wide-spread riots were handed a seven-year sentence between them for violent disorder.
With charges also including racially aggravated behaviour and assault, the various riots have seen local businesses, hostels, mosques and more being targeted.
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And this included carer Brandan Nwabichie, who works in Middlesbrough.
Brendan got home from his 12-hour shift as a carer to find the remnants of his overturned car laying outside of his flat on Sunday (4 August).
A student at Teesside University, the Nigerian told the BBC ‘it was so painful’ to see and he ‘went to the bathroom and cried’.
“It was a devastating moment for me,” he said, “and traumatising also because the question I ask myself is, ‘What am I even doing here? I’m here taking care of somebody, I’m here taking care of people, making sure they’re ok'.
“And it was a good dream coming to the UK, which turns into a nightmare.”
His employer, Clare’s Care UK, set up a GoFundMe page to help him raise money for a new car.
The care home services company explained how Nwabichie has saved up ‘for the past 12 months’ to pay for his car all for it to be ‘taken away overnight’.
“As well as our other staff that made the brave decision to walk to work last night as no taxi’s were running to make sure all of the elderly people in our care homes were still looked after,” it explained.
“Their efforts are commendable, let’s join together and try get Brendan and new car!”
As of this evening, the page managed to raise over £52,000 with over 4,000 donations.
And an update said the company were ‘completely overwhelmed with the support we have received from the community’.
“We have decided since we have raised a lot more than expected to donate some money towards the church’s and community hubs that arrange the Middlesbrough ‘clean up’ the day following the riots,” it added.
“Of course we are super excited to get Brendan a band new car! We have been looking for the perfect one and he is so excited. Once Brendan has decided on a car we will be sure to post you all an update of his new wheels!!”
Communities have been coming together this week to help clean up their cities and towns and restore peace amidst the violence, which has truly been restoring the faith in humanity.
Jess Battison